Happy Birthday FinTechNZ, one year old! What an amazing year it has been; member growth ahead of expectations, fantastic feedback from our events, great examples of startups and corporates working together. We could not have done it without our members and partners who have a keen interest in elevating FinTechNZ in its next growth phase.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me with discussions with many new members and finalising the details of the very first InsurTech Meetup. This month, we have already hosted our Summer Connect Events in Wellington and Christchurch with payments, open banking, APIs and regulation, all hotly discussed.
We are certainly on the right track and I see from FinTechNZ’s growth, engagement both locally and overseas, the one thing we need to secure is Government support. Speaking with FinTech organisations from around the world, it is clear that from a resourcing, support and financial perspective, it will considerably help the NZInc story and how we position FinTech.
Despite 60 applications, the Government wasn’t able to secure a new CTO, however Minister Curran is currently establishing a digital advisory group. I hope the right people are chosen; gurus from the tech ecosystem who deal with Government on a regular basis and can represent FinTechNZ’s and other key stakeholders interests.
Meanwhile, Kiwibank have announced the next 10 companies to be part of their accelerator programme and this cohort looks exciting. When will other banks follow suit?
Encouragingly, we are increasingly seeing overseas interest in local FinTech and next week is yetanother example of this. The Lord Mayor of London and his delegation are visiting our shores for Digital Nations 2030. We will have the opportunity to engage with the Lord Mayor, sharing thoughts on regulatory framework and how easy it is to do business in New Zealand. Payments remains topical, and I think we will continue to see opportunity growth within this space.
If you can’t join us at the Digital Nations 2030 Summit next week, attend online. Live streaming begins on Monday morning, but register online now.
Remember, if you know a company that should be part of the FinTech movement, would like to be part of our events (speaking or hosting) then please get in touch. Information sharing is critical in understanding what is going on and how best we can play our role.
Regards
James Brown
General Manager, FinTechNZ
NEWS & EVENTS
Our Summer Connect Event series continues in Auckland 21 February. Our summer series focuses on innovation in finance and lending, payments, crypto finance and InsurTech. Read the Wellington event highlights here.
Join FinTechNZ for breakfast with the Lord Mayor of London on 20 February in Auckland. Register here. Save the date for our inaugural monthly InsurTech Meetup on 5 March in Auckland.
Planning to attend Money 20/20 Asia 13-15 March in Singapore? Let us know and we can negotiate a discount. In other FinTech news, FinTechNZ has established a partnership with FinTech Scotland. The partnership enables both associations to grow their global network.
Celebrate International Women’s Day with TechWomen. Join us on 8 March, as we showcase local diversity success stories in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The events are valuable for men and women, so bring a buddy.
Know someone 35 years of age or under who is making a difference in the insurance industry? Submit a nomination for Insurance Business’ inaugural Young Guns report. Entries close 2 March. Want to know more about AI? Check out this reading list compiled by the AI Forum NZ. Then explore the local AI ecosystem here.
Join the FinTechNZ conversation and learn more about what we do. Gain the benefits of being part of this focused community. Follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn and join the FinTechNZ forum!
Don’t forget, event submissions are now open for Techweek’18. Here’s everything you need to know about being involved.
A special welcome this month to our new members. If your organisation wishes to join FinTechNZ please contact us.
Want to know more? Sign up for the FinTechNZ update, it’s free and will take less than a minute!
